WOLVES were today waiting on a welcome end of season windfall - thanks to play-off specialist Shaun Newton.

WOLVES were today waiting on a welcome end of season windfall - thanks to play-off specialist Shaun Newton.

Their former midfielder is now celebrating a hat-trick of promotions to the Premiership via the play-offs after being part of West Ham's 1-0 victory against Preston at the Millennium Stadium yesterday.

That follows his previous successes with Wolves two years ago, and Charlton back in 1998, but more importantly secures the Molineux men a handy £115,000 as part of the deal which took Newton back to his native London.

Eyebrows were raised when the 29-year-old, nearing the end of his Wolves' contract, was sold to the Hammers for a paltry £10,000 at the start of March.

But it has now turned into a smart piece of business because not only did Wolves save on his wages they have now received the handy six-figure bonus.

The departure of Newton, now hoping for a more permanent deal with which to have another crack at the Premiership, also allowed boss Glenn Hoddle to bring in loan players Rohan Ricketts and Mikkel Bischoff.

And the success of Ricketts' introduction to life at Molineux last week prompted Hoddle to make him his first permanent signing in his six months at the helm.

The extra cash from the Newton deal will now go into the pot at Hoddle's disposal for strengthening his squad ahead of the closure of the transfer window - this year applying to Coca-Cola League Clubs for the first time - at the end of August.

Already with a small amount to spend, that pot is also likely to be swelled by the sale of Henri Camara at some point before the return to Championship hostilities.

Camara has attracted interest from various Premiership clubs, including Manchester City, and Wolves will have noted with interest weekend reports suggesting City's Shaun Wright-Phillips has been targeted by Liverpool in a possible £15m deal.

It could be that new City boss Stuart Pearce is forced to cash in on the club's biggest asset to fund a summer strengthening process that could yet include a punt for Camara, who has once again indicated he is not prepared to return to Wolves due to his demand for Premiership football.